Device for opening cans



H R SHIFFER DEVICE FOR OPENING CANS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8.1920.

Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

1327:; 1157 7 INVENTOR.

- ATTORNEY.

WMASSES MMKM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY R. SHIFFER, OF BROWNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

DEVICE FOR OPENING CANS.

To all w ham it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY R. SHIFFER, a Citizen of the United States, residing at Brownstown, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Opening Cans, of which the following is a specification.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide improved means particularly adapted for use in connection with metal containers, such as commonly employed for holding shoe paste and the like.

An additional object is to provide a can of the character above specified which shall be provided with opening means manually operated and providing a convenient medium whereby the can may be readily opened when desired.

An additional object is to provide an im proved form of opening means which is as sociated with one section of the can, soas to form, as it were, a part of the can structure itself, thus providing each can with opening means readily accessible at all times.

A further and additional object is to pro vide a flexible, encircling means adapted'to work between the flanged or crimped portions of the can and capable of being twisted against the crimped portion for the purpose of forcing the cover sections apart. 7

With the above and other objects in view the invention may be said to reside generally in the details of construction and arrangement of parts, as will be more fully pointed out, reference being had to the ac companying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a cover equipped with the improved opening device.

Figure 2 is a side elevation. thereof and Figure 3 a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

In the drawings, a can of the usual and conventional type is indicated generally at l and as illustrated comprises a lower or container portion 2 of appreciable depth and provided at a suitable point below 1ts opened end with an outstanding crimped portion or flange 3, providing a bead upon which the edge of the cover 4 rests when the can is closed. The cover 4 fits down over the opened end of the container portion 2 and this cover is, in the present instance, provided with an outstanding projection or lip 5 spaced a short distance inwardly of the rim or edge of the cover so that when the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

Application filed September 8, 1920. Serial No. 408,986.

two sections of the can are fitted together, 11p 5 will be spaced a short distance above the flange 3 of the container.

Designed for association with the can structure'as above described, is an opening device formed from a single strand of wire preferably resilient and of a suitable diameter to be readily accommodated within the space between the flange 3 and lip 5. This opener, indicated at 6, is adapted to be looped or coiled about one section of the can, the cover 4 in the present instance, and

is preferably attached to the can in a permanent manner by providing eyes 7 in any suitable manner in the section of the can to which the opener is secured. The eyes provide bearings for holding the opener in place and preventing it from becoming detached from the can and lost. In placing the wire around the cover 4, it is slightly expanded so that when in place it will have a tendency to contract and thus snugly adhere to'the sides of the cover and retain itself in place by reason of the frictional engagement with the same. The ends or terminals of the wire are bent outwardly from the looped or ring portion, as indicated at 8 and 9 respectively and double back upon themselves as shown, to provide substantial finger grips to be grasped between the thumb and forefinger and twisted so that as one shoulder portion 10 is forced upwardly against lip 5, the other shoulder portion 10 is forced downwardly against the flange 3. The pressure of the oppositely directed forces acting between the lip and flange tend to pry the cover loose from the container with but a minimum expenditure of pres sure, a quick turn or twist of the grip portion being suflicient to force the cover off.

The resilient tendency of the wire ring enables the opener to resume its natural position when the grips are released and thus free'to swing back from their distorted position. When the cover is removed, the eyes 7 prevent the ring from becoming disengaged therefrom while the diameter of the wire itself is such as to permit it to be readily accommodated between the lip 5 and flange 3 so as to interfere in no way with the proper closing of the cover upon the container.

It is obvious that the opening device may be applied to can structures of various types and with but slight alterations. When applied, for instance, to cans upon the respective sections of which outstanding flanges or crimped portions are already provided, as is usual in innumerable instances, the ring member niayhave hook members provided thereon to take the place of the eyelets 7 and to hook over the flanges or crimped portions of either the cover or container of the car to hold the ring in place between the spaced flanges. The grip portions may be then twisted for forcing the cover off in the same manner as previously described and explained.

Having thus described the invention what- I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is v 1. A device of the character described, including a can having an outstanding flange, a cover therefor with a lip formed thereon, and means encircling said cover capable of belng twisted to exert pressure against said flange and 11p for removing said cover.

2. A device of the character describechineluding a can with an outstanding flange, a

cluding a can having an outstanding flange,

a cover therefor, a lip formedon the cover, and a wire embracmg said cover about the ends projecting outwardly from beneath the lip portion and movable over against both flange or lip for forcing the cover from the can.

flange and below the lip portion with its In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses. I

' HARRY R. SH'IFFER.

l Vitnesses: p i R. M. SHIFFER, I J E. SHIFFER. 

